Millonarios Faces Santa Fe Without a Coach After Fabián Bustos's Shock Exit

With just hours to go before a clasico, the last thing a team needs is to be left without a coach. That is exactly what happened to Millonarios. Fabián Bustos left the job amid a departure that even he didn't fully understand.

I didn't resign, I'm very surprised.Fabián Bustos

What stands out is that the Cordoba native was leaving the team in fourth place with 11 points, a position that in any other context would leave him at ease. But the style of play never fully won over the blue and white faithful, and the 0-0 draw against Internacional de Bogotá at El Campín was the last straw. With complaints already mounting, the board decided to make a clean break right before the match against Santa Fe.

The bench will now be occupied by Omar Rodríguez, promoted from within the club, who will have to take on the interim role with several key players unavailable. He won't be able to count on defender Jorge Arias, midfielder David Mackalister Silva, or forward Rodrigo Contreras. A tough debut, without star players and without any time to prepare.

Santa Fe Arrives Off a Demanding Road Trip

On the other side, Santa Fe is also dealing with absences. Goalkeeper Andrés Mosquera and winger Omar Fernández Frasica are still recovering and won't be available. But there is good news for Pablo Repetto: he gets back midfielder Kilian Toscano and captain Hugo Rodallega, two experienced pieces the team needs right now.

The cardinal squad returns to home turf after a demanding road trip that first took them to Buenos Aires, where they visited River Plate for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, and then to Barranquilla, to face two time defending champion Junior in the FPC. They came back from those two away matches unbeaten, something Repetto highlighted ahead of the game.

It's worth pointing out that every player left everything out there, and as a coach that fills me up. After that you can win or lose, but the group has the right mindset.Pablo Repetto

The standings don't lie: Santa Fe sits in 13th place with six points, far from where they'd like to be at this stage of the tournament. A home win over their archrival would vault them straight into the top eight, a jump that would completely change the team's mood for the rest of the league season.

Kickoff is set for 8:25 p.m., with a Millonarios side arriving without a permanent coach and full of doubts, and a Santa Fe team that needs the emotional lift of a home win to fully jump into the race for a playoff spot.